Computers and the Internet – Page 2

CONTROLLED FOLDER ACCESS

When I was running updates on my Windows machines, I wondered why I had not been required to fix a blocked folder access issue in a very long time.

I went into – Settings/Privacy & security/Windows Security/Open Windows Security/Virus @ threat protection/Ransomware protection/Manage ransomware protection/Controlled folder access – and discovered that it was turned off.

I checked my Surface Pro 7 as well as a NUC running Win 10 and discovered that it was also turned off on these computers.

A search on the internet revealed that it is now off by default. I am certain that it used to be turned on by default.

Many sites advise to leave it off – typical article like this in Computer World to “think twice” before turning it on – https://www.computerworld.com/article/3665694/windows-controlled-folder-access-think-twice-before-deploying.html

However, I have turned it back on. I “think” I know what I am doing but perhaps it is best to leave the default if you do not want to deal with the issues.

Had to laugh- The first “issue” that I had to deal with was to allow “Open Live Writer” to log on to post this.

INTEL NUC – DISCONTUED

I was listening to Widows Weekly podcast (Episode 837) and Paul Thurrott advised that the mini computer line by Intel – The NUC – was being discontinued.

The Verge has an article here https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/11/23790956/intel-nuc-compact-pc-discontinued

I have two NUCs and really like them. Not only are they fully functioning computers in a small size, but you can configure them yourself to some degree.

On the other hand, many prominent PC makers now produce small form factor computers and, with these, you are not confined to an Intel CPU.

I am attracted to the Asus PN 64. Like the NUC, you can get a “barebones” model and configure it with your own selection of DDR5 RAM (up to 32 GB) plus two hard drives – one M.2 and one SATA – just like the NUC.

The Asus PN64 supports high end graphics and has plenty of outlets including a handy “configurable” port that can be set up for VGA, Display Port etc plus HDMI 2.1. https://www.asus.com/au/displays-desktops/mini-pcs/pn-series/asus-expertcenter-pn64/

MacBook Pro Continued

Refer previous post https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/new-macbook-pro/

I have been using my MacBook Pro for over 3 months now, and I have the following further comments.

TOUCH BAR

I do not know why people complain about this feature. In fact, people complained so much that Apple has removed it from many models.

I admit that I watched a number of on-line videos to learn how to use it properly.

But I like it. In fact, it is one of the features that I like the most, particularly the fingerprint reader.

OTHER COMMENTS

Battery life is very good and a Mac comes with most, if not all the Apps people usually need. These factors, along with build quality and an excellent operating system, make the Mac very attractive.

However, just like Windows, you probably have to consider buying extra on-line storage via iCloud to complement local backup via “Time Machine”.

I pay for Microsoft (Office) 365 that comes with a large amount of OneDrive storage. I have it installed on my Mac Book Pro.

Like One Drive, iCloud has only 5GB of free storage which is not enough for a second “off premises” backup. Dropbox has a smaller amount at 2GB. Google Drive has a much more generous 15GB free, but this includes Email and Photos and is still not enough for backup.

Microsoft 365 is probably the best value. The basic plan provides a full copy MS Office plus 1TB of OneDrive storage on 5 Devices (Windows, Mac and Android) for AUD $99 per year.

iCloud ranges from –

50GB AUD $17.88 per year – NOT ENOUGH;

200GB AUD $53.88 per year – Will do at a pinch;

2 TB AUD $179.88 About double the cost of OneDrive with 1TB plus Office.

The large iCloud jump from 200GB to 2TB with no options in between is a bone of contention.

I am happy with Office 365. This program works on my Windows machines plus my MacBook Pro as well as my iPhone and iPad – and at half the price of the 2TB iCloud package.

I would never use 2TB as I only use a fraction of the 1TB on Office 365. I could get away with 200GB by being careful but, even so, as a user of both operating systems, I see Office 365 as the best value for money. However, if you were Apple only and used to using Pages, Numbers etc, I would buy the 200gb iCloud package.

Google drive pricing is:

100GB AUD $24.99 per year

200GB AUD $43.99 per year

2TB AUD $124.99 per year.

NEGATIVE

The only negative for me is the lack of Facial Recognition combined with the need to type in the password when you boot the Mac. (You can’t use the fingerprint reader on first boot from full shutdown.)

Windows Hello with a compatible web cam is why I still favour my Surface Pro 7 (SP7). A touch screen along with a stylus to draw on the screen is a “nice to have” (on the SP7) but Windows Hello facial recognition is the reason I still favour the SP7. Apple fans hype the OS but, in my opinion, it is the OS that you are familiar with that counts. I have used both for years and I don’t think one is better than the other.

I do not know why Apple cannot do face recognition on a MacBook Pro. After all, it works well on my iPhone. My iPad is old and does not have it, but later models do.

CONCLUSION

If you want a Mac, I recommend the model I have as it is not all that expensive and does the job well for normal use – (13 Inch MacBook Pro with M2 CPU, 512 GB Hard Drive and 8 GB RAM).

It only has 2 USB C (Thunderbolt) ports but that has not been a problem. The inexpensive dock (I bought) expands connectivity to all that the majority of people want.

PASSWORDS

Please refer to previous post https://whysun.com/uncategorized/password-manager/

I have finished changing my passwords. I admit that I slowed down towards the end when I got to the less important sites – but it is now finished.

I want to document some rules that will now apply to any future accounts that I open:

· I will NEVER give credit card details. If they don’t have PayPal then I won’t open. Luckily, I had been doing this;

· I will also NEVER open an account that does not have easy to see provisions to close it and change password etc.;

· Overall I will give careful consideration to opening any on line account.

I was surprised at the number of sites that did not provide email notice of a change of passwords. There were not that many BUT ONE is TOO MANY!

NEW MACBOOK PRO

After having problems with my old (2014) MacBook Pro, I have replaced it with a new 13 Inch MacBook Pro with M2 CPU, 512 GB Hard Drive and 8 GB RAM.

The old one was starting to have issues. Not only was I prevented from upgrading to the latest OS, but the screen had a big dull patch. Previously, I had the keyboard replaced and problems with the touch pad had re-developed. Also, I dropped my Apple mouse and broke it.

So, I took advantage of the Boxing Day sales and got a new one.

I could still boot the old one (using another USB Mouse) and Apple has made the set up and transfer to the new machine easy. It is just like upgrading to a new iPhone. After you connect to the same Wi-Fi network, the transfer is done over Wi-Fi.

I did not have any problems, but after being stuck on an old version of OS X, there were some new features that had me scratching my head – but nothing too serious.

One thing to be aware of – The 13 inch model only has 2 X USB C ports (and a headphone jack) – nothing else including no power plug on the 13inch model – you have to use one of the USB C ports. Both are “Thunderbolt”, so a dock works well.

The 14- and 16-inch models have the headphone jack, a card reader, a HDMI and 3 X Type C Thunderbolt ports plus a Mag Safe power plug. These versions also have better specs BUT are much dearer. They don’t have any USB Type A, so you would still have to buy a dock or adaptor.

The shop where I bought it (The Good Guys) was sold out of USB C portable external drives (for Time Machine). As a result, I thought about this and decided to get a dock to connect to one of the USB C ports. I got one from Office Works that has 4 X USB 3 Type A ports, a HDMI 4 K port plus one USB C port that can be used for power. The price was about half of a USB C hard drive, and I could keep using my existing USB 3 Type A Time Machine hard drive.

As it has about 20 hours of battery life, the lack of a separate power port on the 13inch model is not a great problem, but it is good to have the dock so that I do not tie up a USB C port for power and can also use this USB C port for multiple purposes.

Immediately, I was attracted by two features that were not on the old MacBook. The first is, it has a fingerprint reader. I set this up immediately and use it all the time. The second is also good. Even if you shut it down, as soon as you open the lid, it re-boots automatically.

AND I must mention that Siri is alive and well. When I say “Hey Siri Open Excel” she obeys promptly. Unlike the disappeared Cortana on Windows.

Everyone raves about the M2 CPU, but the way I use it, I can’t see any difference – but that is just me. However, this is my new toy. My Surface Pro 7 (SP7) is now officially neglected- although the facial recognition and touch screen, that my SP7 has but not on my new MacBook, are hard to neglect.

I did try to do a wipe and reset of the old one to give it to someone. However, I had no luck. It just would not work. I took the old one apart (#) to remove the battery and hard drive. I transported the battery (along with another spent rechargeable battery) to the council dump. The local council has free battery disposal at their Waste and Recycling Depots. You often hear of garbage trucks catching fire from people putting these types of batteries in the rubbish bin.

(#) I have a full set of different screw bits so I can undo most screws.

FURTHER COMMENTS See – https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/macbook-pro-continued/

NBN SCAM CALLS

I received 3 phone calls yesterday supposedly from NBN trying to arrange for a “technician” to call with a new modem and advising that the “old” modem/connection box will stop working in 7 days.

With any new scam, I try to lead them on to find out what the angle is. Alas, I am not as skilled as those YouTube people who can lead them on for hours.

By what I can make out, they must be calling numbers in suburbs earmarked for the FTTP roll out. Refer my previous post https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/nbn-upgrade-to-fttp/

First up, you can hardly understand them – thick foreign accents. But they start by telling you that your old modem / NBN Connection Box will stop working in 7 days and you need a new model. Then they try to arrange a time for a technician to call with the new modem. I haven’t managed to get past this point, but I bet that once they have made a time for a “technician” to call they will then start asking for money / personal information / banking information.

REMEMBER NBN WILL NOT CALL YOU See https://www.nbnco.com.au/learn/protect-yourself-from-scams – From this page

· nbn will not call to confirm an appointment and ask for payment to secure your booking, or ask you to pay the postage costs for new hardware.

If you want to be kept up to date, subscribe to the NBN news letter using this link

https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/fttp-upgrade-with-higher-speed-tiers

Under – Check to see if you can upgrade to nbn’s fast fibre today – Type in your address and check – after which, a section will appear for an email address.

Win 10 Cumulative Update Preview KB5020030 – PROBLEM

I had problems with the Optional Update KB5020030.

I noticed that there was an Optional Quality Update – Cumulative update preview for Win 10 22H2 KB5020030 – when I recently checked All Settings / Update and Security / Windows Updates.

I clicked on Download and Install but, afterwards, the computer would not re-boot. It tried to fix the error automatically but, after a number of failed attempts, I had to do a Reset PC.

Bleeping Computer has details on the update here https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/windows-10-kb5020030-preview-update-released-with-ten-improvements/

I will not try again until it becomes NON Optional.

A Reset PC is now easy BUT I could not re-download SyncToy from Microsoft. See previous posts about this topic https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-11-update-9-synctoy-alternative-syncfolder/ AND https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-11-update-8-synctoy-backup/

I could have used SyncFolder, BUT I found a copy of the SyncToy 2.1 installer on Major Geeks .com https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/microsoft_synctoy_for_windows_xp.html

Major Geeks is a well known and reputable site and the program installed without any issues. Even UAC said it was from Microsoft.

I have been caught before with optional Driver updates – BUT now I will never install any optional updates.

NBN Upgrade to FTTP

NBN – National Broadband Network – Types of connections in order of performance :

FTTP – Fibre to the Premises
HFC – Hybrid Fibre Coaxial
FTTB – Fibre to the Building
FTTC – Fibre to the Curb
FTTN – Fibre to the Node

There are also Fixed Wireless and Sky Muster Satellite but these are limited by the technology.

I recently noticed that the Telstra Communication Pits (now owned by NBN) in my suburb had all been identified and marked with painted arrows. This piqued my curiosity and I searched the NBN site for a reason. I found this https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/fttp-upgrade-with-higher-speed-tiers . Certain areas with FTTC & FTTN are being upgraded to FTTP. It is unclear, but it seems that Fibre will be connected to the outside pit and if you want the fibre into the house, you may have to arrange with your retailer (Telstra / Optus etc) for a high speed plan and either :-

Pay for the installation – Said to be $200 (Seems too cheap);or
Enter into a fixed term contract for a high speed tier (More likely) and/or;
Pay extra with the plan for the connection.

BUT IT IS NOT CLEAR.

My suburb is on the list to be upgraded to FTTP.

As my current FTTN will provide speeds for the 100/40 20 plan (100Mbps down / 40 20Mbps up ## See Update) which is the minimum speed to qualify for the FTTP upgrade, I have altered my existing 50/20 plan to 100/20. It does not cost much extra – $15 per month.

But I must say that I have had no issues with my current connection and plan. In fact, I just did a speed check and my current speeds are 55 down / 19.1 up. Also I can’t remember any dropouts or problems (touch wood). The 50/20 plan is probably enough for most people but I have more money than sense.

The people I know who have FTTP all have the equipment in the garage. However apparently you can put it almost anywhere inside, so I intend to have mine mounted next to my modem router set up.

I have also registered for NBN updates via Email. Now I will wait.

UPDATE – UPLOAD SPEED

I made a mistake with the Upload Speed. Even though I could get 40Mbps up, the plan has a speed cap of 20 Mbps up. It seems to be the same for the next plan – 250/20. I recall that it used to be 40 Mbps up, but that must have changed.

These are my speeds now:

This article provides some more information https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2022/03/nbn-fibre-upgrade-eligibility/

NBN Links

https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/fttp-upgrade-with-higher-speed-tiers

NOTE! On the above link, you can check your address AND, after you input the address, a section becomes visible to provide an Email to be kept informed.

https://www.nbnco.com.au/blog/the-nbn-project/australias-digital-backbone-is-evolving

https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/fttp-upgrade-with-higher-speed-tiers

WINDOWS MAIL APP – OUTLOOK MAIL PROGRAM

See various previous posts about problems with the Mail App that comes with Windows 10 / 11 :

https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-10-mail-app-problems-fixed/

https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-10-mail-app-problems/

https://whysun.com/computers-the-internet/windows-10-mail-app-problems-update/

https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-10-mail-app-problems-confirmation/

I am still having small but annoying issues with the Mail App.

The formatting problem, mentioned in previous posts, still randomly occurs. Emails are received with text one letter wide in a long descending column of single letters.

Also I have had a couple instances of other small problems so I decided to install the Outlook Mail program that is included with my Office 365 subscription.

Outlook is by far a better program. On the other hand, it is designed for business and is more than I need.

I wish that Outlook Express or Windows Live Mail were still available but they are not. Mozilla Thunderbird is an option, but it is more like Outlook than Windows Mail.

After using Windows Mail App for long time, it took a while to get used to Outlook.

I did discover something in setting up Outlook concerning the server addresses for emails attached to my domain. Before, I had to put in long specific server addresses. With both Outlook and the App this is no longer necessary and I was able to use the IMAP automatic set up.

After using Outlook for a couple of weeks, I find myself going back to the Mail App to quickly check my emails. This is mainly out of habit, but also because Outlook is a large all encompassing program and seems a bit slow compared to the Mail App.

On reflection, I think I will keep using the App but keep Outlook as a back up to check / use when the App has problems.

Windows 11 Update 10 – Local Backup to External Drive

Refer to previous posts about the absence in Win 11 Settings of an option to backup to a local external drive and the necessity to use Control Panel / File History:

https://whysun.com/computers-the-internet/windows-11-update-2-control-panel-back-up/

https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-11-update-8-synctoy-backup/

https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-11-update-9-synctoy-alternative-syncfolder/

When searching the internet on the subject, I have found articles like these two:

https://www.windowscentral.com/hidden-changes-you-may-have-missed-windows-11

First note the date of the article – 25th Aug 2021 – then scroll down to No 9 showing an entry under Settings / System / Storage / Advanced Storage Settings / Backup Options. This no longer exists, at least on the two up to date Windows 11 computers I own.

Similar information appears in this article dated March 2022 in Method 1 https://www.ubackup.com/articles/backup-files-to-external-hard-drive-windows-11.html

I had not noticed this, perhaps because it was under Storage – not Backup. In any case, it is no longer there, BUT still accessible under Control Panel / File History.

At first, I thought the articles might be referring to new builds but I can’t find any indication of this. I have searched through changes expected in Win 11 version 22H2, now due later this year, but can’t find any reference to it.

AS previously stated, it is being suggested that this function is being depreciated. Once again, I hope not.